And So Happy Christmas
by Galantria
Summary: It is the first Christmas since Fred died and the war may be over, but not everyone is happy. When no one seems to remember Fred Ginny and George take a walk.. through a blizzard. Angst and Realization.


**A/N this is my first song fic to The War is Over by John Lennon. This is a Weasly Christmas fic and a little off timed because the holidays are wrapping up, but I wanted to do this so...here it is . I miss Fred so much so I thought I would write this.**

**Reviews are loved.**

**Song background: written by John Lennon for the end of the Vietnam War.**

**On another note: please now that when Ginny says her family doesn't care about Fred, she is too upset to think straight**

_/So this is Christmas/_

_/And what have you done/_

_/Another year over/_

_/And a new one just begun/_

The fire was lit. The Burrow was swamped in red bows and slightly-decaying mistletoe. The hands of Mrs. Weasly's clock were settled comfortably on _safe_. The home was populated once more by the numerous Weaslys and their strange friends. In short this holiday had every appearance of being a normal Weasly Christmas, but it wasn't.

Because if you counted the fiery red heads and strange friends you would find their numbers greatly diminished since last Christmas.

_/And so this is Christmas/_

_/I hope you have fun/_

_/The near and the dear one/_

_/The old and the young/ _

George Weasly was staring into the fire from his slightly battered armchair. This wasn't completely unusual as the prankster had always liked to take break from his pranks and reflect on life, but this year his thoughts were darker. In his mind the flames were not pretty and benign, licking the logs gently and dancing in the draft. They were scorching, searing enemies, destroying the logs as thoroughly as the explosion that had taken his twin, Fred's, life.

"Come away from the fire, love," said Mrs. Weasly as she draped a holed blanket and rested a arm on his shoulder. George turned his face and the expression, lit by the flames, was enough to make Mrs. Weasly draw back from her own son. She covered her flinch with a excessive motion toward the half-decorated tree. "George, dear, don't you want to help decorate?"

Ginny, who was silently hanging ornaments, answered for him. "Stop it! Stop acting like he wasn't here! Like he wouldn't be running around the tree right now, breaking ornaments like a big, funny,_ lovable_ disaster!"

"Calm down Ginny," Mr. Weasly softly chided his angry daughter.

_/A very Merry Christmas/_

_/And a happy New Year/_

_/Let's hope it's a good one/_

_/Without any fear /_

Mrs. Weasly shook her head and a tear rolled down her cheek, leaving a wet path highlighted by the fire light.

"No! I won't calm down! Fred is out there, cold and alone. . ." Ginny trailed off. "And I'm going to find him. He shouldn't be alone on Christmas. Come on, George!"

_/And so this is Christmas/_

_/For weak and for strong/_

_/For rich and the poor ones/_

_/The world is so wrong/_

George Weasly looked up at his sister with a look not seen on his face in quite a longtime -- hope. Ginny grabbed his hand and in nothing more than jeans and an old Christmas sweater, led him out the door.

The wind flung Ginny's hair out behind her and George's green sweater was flaked with snow. Ginny squinted her blazing eyes to see through the flurries and squeezed George's hand. Though George was a good 5 inches taller than Ginny, he looked like a little boy being guided by a much older sister.

_/And so happy Christmas/_

_/For black and for white/_

_/For yellow and red ones/_

_/Let's stop all the fight/ _

The rest of the Weasly family trailed after the two siblings, trying to catch up to them.

"Ginny! George! Stop it!" called Bill whose trade mark ponytail was coming undone in the wind.

Ginny sent a glare over her shoulder. "You lot might not care about Fred, but we're going to go get him!"

"Ginny! Fred is gone! You can't 'go get him!'" screamed Ron.

"What would you know about it, Ron? And it's not like you all care anyways. Never saying his name, acting like he was never there! Well, guess what? He _was_!" The others fell silent as they continued to follow the youngest Weasly and the single twin.

_/ A very Merry Christmas/_

_/And a happy New Year/_

_/Let's hope it's a good one/_

_/Without any fear/_

Finally Harry called through the winds. "Ginny, you know that's not true. We just need. . . _time_. To accept it."

Ginny laughed mirthlessly. "Harry, you are more dead to me than Fred is. Because even now he has never abandoned me."

"Enough!" yelled Charlie and he jogged forward to grab the back of Ginny's arm. It was speckled with goose bumps and her skin was frigid. Charlie tried to hold her back, but Ginny was strong and determined and she twisted out of his grasp easily.

_/And so this is Christmas/_

_/And what have we done/_

_/Another year over/_

_/A new one just begun/_

When George and Ginny reached the apple tree, coated in snow they broke into a run. Though the wind and snow struck them and the cold gnawed at them them, they ran.

A few long paces later they collapsed in the snow by Fred's grave stone.

_/And so happy Christmas/_

_/We hope you have fun/_

_/The near and the dear one/_

_/The old and the young/ _

George sat down cross-legged like a child and ran his hands along the stone, feeling the words carved there.

" 'Fred Weasly; 1981- 2000. Lived making the world a happier place, died helping to save it.' " Ginny read.

"He's gone," George said looking at Ginny.

"Yes," she said, and having finally admitted it to herself started to sob. "He is, isn't he?"

_/A very Merry Christmas/_

_/And a happy New Year/_

_/Let's hope it's a good one/_

_/Without any fear/_

George smiled. "So I guess we're the slow ones in the family?"

"That or the stubborn pricks." Ginny smiled and George put his arm around her.

"I don't think Fred would have minded."

_/War is over, if you want it/_

_/War is over now/_


End file.
